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Navigating an Open Ended Project
Written by all of SEED Team 6 How to Navigate in Open Water Congratulations, you have been assigned your senior capstone project. Upon reading the project outline, you realize that the project you have been assigned is very open-ended and ambiguous. This may frustrate you, but take some time to breathe and let this article help you understand how to make the best project ever. The first thing you want to do is, visit your sponsor. You will not make any headway until you do this since you are not a mind reader nor can you predict the future. Upon visiting your sponsor, you should ask tough questions - these will be discussed later - which help you formulate ideas about how to proceed. When forming ideas, team communication is key and you should approach the problem from multiple angles. This will give you the best chance to see where the biggest problems are. Always asks yourself if something is valid. Remember, is it a validity or reliability problem. This is hard with groups in two different sections, but if you hold meetings together as a group and go to each other’s lab sections and talk about the problem, you will be able to make your group project sail. Aggressiveness when questioning your sponsor is important to getting and staying on track. In this sense, you want to ask direct questions. This may seem like a no-brainer, but given the nature of ambiguous projects and a sponsor’s ever changing mind, questions are a good way to keep both parties on track. Ask questions that get your sponsor to think about ideas they may have. Often times the sponsor/client will have more experience in this field; this makes their opinions much more valid. If you have some ideas when talking with them ask them directly; nothing slows a project like wondering what to do for a couple weeks because you don’t have any ideas. Also, talking with your sponsor can be stressful, so remember personal details to help create a more open environment. By interacting with your sponsor and asking intelligent question, you will earn your sponsors respect. Your sponsor is not only your client, but also a mentor; don’t be afraid to utilize their industry knowledge. While journeying through your project, talk to everyone you meet. Those who work closest to the problems that you are trying to solve will have different perspectives, ideas, and sometimes additional information obtained from their interactions with the issues first hand. Establish professional contacts with managers, vendors, manufacturers, and anyone else who helps you along your way. This will only benefit you in accomplishing your goals, and you may never know what role they might play in the end game. Always remember to be respectful and courteous when interacting with anyone you may encounter. You will be surprised what knowledge will be gained from a simple conversation. Keep an ongoing dialog about your project with Dr. Chuck; he is there to help you and knows how to provide you with the tools needed to succeed. Finally, talk and get to know your teammates. You might feel that you are in the trenches at times, but you are all in it together. The experiences you will share together are once in a lifetime so don’t forget to enjoy the moment. ''' '''Key Takeaways: * Visit your sponsor first. Ask intelligent, thought-provoking questions. They have knowledge from first-hand experience with the problem. * If you are feeling nervous in communicating with your sponsor, ask personal questions to lighten the mood. * Talk to everyone you meet. You never know who might hold the information you’ve been missing. * Dr. Chuck is a great resource. He has knowledge and power (Jedi Master) that can help you find the right tools to get the job done. * Last of all, have fun and enjoy this moment with your team. * S.E.E.D. Team 6 ''' '''Spring 2018